Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1887-04-07
THE CALICO FROCK.

1t wasn't hot day, nor Q cold day, nor .
damp day, but 1t was an atrocious day, .
clamrny day, an unbearable day, = day
that made your clothes stick TO you ike
poor relations, that brought out cold sweats
on pitchers and goblets that made your
back race course for contemplate little
chills and the rest Of your body q target for
thousand invisible pms and needles. that
made the grasshopper . burden and the
dusty, begrined city pandemouiurn, that
made Solomon Griggs. bachelor, Of the
firm of Griggs. Makem & Co, the great
clothing merchants, shut up his ledger with
bang and start for the country by the next
train. remarking 10 old Grimsesby, the
head clerk, that the city was sitting" To
which that worthy replied, $50 1t is, but
how about the fellers that can't get out of
1t and must stay 10 be chokesiv'-a prob
lem which l suspect our friend Of the firm
Of Griggs, Make,n & Co., troubled his head
very little about being just then busy in
looking into the dusty recesses of that pict-
ure gallery, which memory furnishes aud
arranges for US all as a single landscape,
hanging there. A low house with NOISY,
overhanging caves, standing on the slope
Of a green hill. shaded by branching etrns,
with level fields stretching OF In the fore
ground toward the sparkling water on one
side and dusky woods on the other. and
there, dusty, sweating and tired, Solomon
found himself just about sunset, Out came
a ruddy checked, smiling old lady in cap
and apron, that had attained state OF
snowy perfection unknown to city laun-
! dresses.
"Why, bless me, If il isn't little Sol,
Why, who'd thought Of seeing your and
she folded the stalwart, bearded man In as
warm an embrace as though he were in
reality still the little Sol Of former daya
And how do you do, Soil Come In,
come in, don't stand out there You know
the little path and tho way 10 the pantry
yet, l dare say. Come in; you needn't
start back-its only Rachel
''But didn't know you bad any young
ladies with you, Aunt Hester"
"It's only Rachel, tell you-Rachel
Hart, the seamstress. Are there no women
in your city, that you are afraid to face a
little country grip
Little indeed" thought Solomon, a. he
acknowledged his aunt's somewhat peculiar
introduction-and not pretty, either-wi.h
large eyes OF that uncertain gray that
sometimes beams darkly blue and then deep
ems into brown, with smooth, low forehead
and light brown hair drawn tightly across
each ear, just revealing its crimson tip; .
face irregularly featured, and rendered still
more striking by the singular contrast b.
tween its extreme pallor and the internally
scarlet hps-the personiication Of nsatnesz,
the embodiment of reserve.
! "An odd little person, thought Solo
mon, "but it's none Of my businexr' and
disrnissing her from his mind, he proceeded
to the much moro important business Of
making himself pereeptibie at Aunt Testers
| tea table.
! Solomon did ample justice TO the snowy
bread, golden butter and luscious straw
| berries, and later, that worthy WAS in
| dulging in stroll across the field, be lifted
! up his eyes and beheld the little seamstrusr,
whose existence he had quite forgotten,
under venerable cherry tree, making des
perate efforts TO seize a tempting branch on
its lowest bow-resea!ing in her gyrations
very neat foo. and ankle and looking al
most pretty with her flushed cheeks and
sparkling eyes.
Now Sol was a gallant man-decidesily
the preuX chevalier OF the firm Of Griggs,
Mahem & Co; 50 that whenever, as ha.;
once or twice happened, a pet,icoat ven
Hshment Sol was the man whom destiny
and tho ether partners selected % parley
with the enemy.
Advancing, therefore, with happy
mixture OF conhdcuce and condesccnsion,
Sol plucked the cherrie. and was about 70
present them when Independence In a calico
frock stopped back with cool
Keep them yourself, sir, don't care
for them -
II thought you wanted ,heBi'' STAN
nerd Sol
$50 did. because thay were difficult 20
obtain. Had they been on your aun;'s table.
| would npt have touched them. IL Is The
glow Of triumph that gives a pleasure 70
~ res. "a. the cherries yourself, and
good evening. SIR
'stoy Inounent''' said Sol, M. little
astoulsbei, that isl mean p~r1nl. me
TO accompany you -
VI; yo.l would expect me 20 entertain
you, and that would he too much troable. I"
But II, instead. should entertain you'''
you cannot %
why"
You coGld tell me nothing new You
are uniy crBc.ble for converting balss of
cloth into the precious ere tina: al The
world soes mai after 70 doab. you are
al VERY vel "a your way. b1; thrrs arv al
chemists who c0uld tranzsaute our hum
drum daily Af9 into golden vsrxe ~
heavenly tho8zh' To such q ossa Nigh,
i1sfen; bst yog and 1 hav. nothing in CON
mon "
'Sct even our humanity asi~s Solo
mon
The stern face 81 the yoznx girl soeene1
q Little, but only for a usornsn;
Mo- she answered, anzrliy, no. s~~a
that j, you know, an made u The intsr4o.
clsy-you Of tie pure porcelain 10 yoa
not remember how even good, kind Aur:
Hsster tod you there were no young lAdls
with b.r, only the ssaruS.re~s VOC are
slightly bord already. and tsinx M odd
enough 20 sHslss yOa for . rhlss, bz.
some Of .beSs gay ladies-aaSoFss ~toFn
bear you are szach = favovtte we're % corse
here, you would ~. ersa know u.n. Go<sd
evening. Sir -
What furious ilt.ls radical. 4" ;bosxht
soi, with an uneaxy laugh. - b. vs.cb~d
Der rr.rsafing sgzrs. After az, be -.
not quite szrr that sAe had NJ. sj>pksr The
tru,a-
II the calico fruck had been Counsel
s.s<, for ia-xtanes, bo~ many degrees rsors
defe-sntsAi spzd h2vs t>~a hi. rsxa,s~r ia
gressntirsg ~ cberrs~-'
epse-y .ns sssco<4
!: tSe eslEoo frpck had b~~1 waking
d0En Broadway shout o'essck Ia he
Etsevnoon- Soad hs, Solozoz Crs-ss. =
erssrs. Gsssza Co. a. Willingly esnort
!, - aero~z TIRE gr-sa seA1s vhsr~. IL -
rDA4as ard bIzstSrt.s 6si rake .euaxrks, Il
~as n tss-r own AnsaaSs'
.-,s szsssas aa.-~ - ss~1~